


Bad Day to be Gloria

by Polyblank1752



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Anxiety, Champion Yuuri | Gloria, F/F, F/M, Heavy Angst, Mental Anguish, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multi, Peer Pressure, Pokemon, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Training, Sad Ending, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:34:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26037985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polyblank1752/pseuds/Polyblank1752
Summary: Gloria is a natural. She's excellent at battling her Pokemon, and she has a no lose streak. She's also amazing at lying.Gloria doesn't remember how she was convinced to be part of the gym challenge. Maybe it was Hop's insistent begging. Maybe the fact that even the Champion of Galar told her she should be apart of the annual gym challenge. She was never good at dealing with peer pressure, after all.To keep her spirits high, she pretends she's enjoying this. She isn't, and seeing her friend Hop become increasingly desperate to win against her is hard. Her facade is slowing chipping away with each gym she beats. She hates losing, after all.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria, Hop & Yuuri | Gloria, Hop/Yuuri | Gloria, Mary | Marnie/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 1
Kudos: 45





	1. Gloria moves to Postwick

**Author's Note:**

> Gloria but make it angst.

Gloria was born into a small family. It was just her mom and dad. She grew up lonely, but she didn’t mind. Using the free time she had after school and the weekends, she studied Pokemon. Soon enough, she was well versed in the Pokemon of her home region Galar. She could list off all the types, weaknesses, and strengths from a very young age. It wasn’t much to brag about, she thought. After all, many people could do much more than that. 

Gloria went to school in the small town of Turffield. There were a few other kids her age, but she didn’t associate herself with them. She preferred being in the corner, looking through books about Pokemon. It wasn’t long before kids stopped asking her if she wanted to play tag. Besides, they seemed more interesting in only battling Pokemon, not learning about them the way she did. 

Nothing ever happens in Turffield, she thought. The next few days would change her way of living.

~

It was a sunny and hot day in Turffield. Gloria had just come home from school, carrying her bag that her mother had given her. She said hello to her parents, and quickly went to her room. Putting away the bag in her closet, she went back to the living room, hearing the call of her mother to come back. 

Sitting down at the chair that her father pointed to, she stared patiently at her parents. “What is it, mommy?” 

There was a small pause before her father spoke. 

“Well, Gloria… Me and your mother decided we are going to move houses!” 

Her mother quickly nodded her head, agreeing with him. “We just wanted to tell you, so you could tell your friends at school that you’ll be moving away.” 

She scrunched up her nose. Friends? She didn’t have any. There was no need for them. At least that’s what she thought. She nodded anyways, not wanting to worry her parents with the fact that she hadn’t made a single friend after all these years. 

“We know this could be hard to deal with. You’re young, and used to living here in Turffield. But there’s nothing to worry about, Gloria. We’ll still be in Galar, after all.” 

She was a little relieved to hear that. She didn’t want to move regions. She liked this one. 

“But, since it is a big change, we thought it might be a good idea to give you your first Pokemon!” 

At this, her eyes widened. Her first pokemon? A million thoughts raced through her head. What type are they? Was it small, or big? Was it her favorite type? Or maybe it was a legendary… No, no way it could be a legendary, that’s too far, Gloria, don’t get your hopes up. 

Pulling out a pokeball, her father handed it over to Gloria, wrapping her small hands around it. “I want you to take good care of her, alright? She’s still small, just like you. I’m sure in your care, she’ll grow to be an amazing Pokemon!” 

Gloria wasted no time in releasing the Pokemon. She wanted to know what it could possibly be. A bright light shined out, the silhouette of the Pokemon showing itself on the living room floor. She closed her eyes, the light too bright to stare at. 

A second passed, and the light was gone. Gloria gasped. In the place of it, was a small Pichu. It’s small form was looking around nervously, not used to its surroundings. 

Gloria jumped up from her seat, almost running over to the Pichu before catching herself. She didn’t want to startle the Pichu and have it shock her. 

The Pichu noticed her, knowing that the little girl in front of her was her owner. It looked hesitant at first, but Gloria smiled at it, a genuine smile, and it quickly ran into Gloria’s arms. 

Gloria giggled, petting the small Pokemon in her arms. It cried out lovingly, trusting the little girl that held it. 

“Daddy! She’s so cute! And she’s my favorite type!” 

Her father chuckled, nodding. “Of course! It took me a while to find a good breeder, let alone find one with a Pichu. I wanted it to be the perfect gift for you.” 

Setting down the Pichu, Gloria ran to her father, hugging him tightly. He laughed, ruffling her hair while returning the tight hug. Separating from him, she ran to her mother next, giving her a tight hug as well. 

“Thank you… She’s perfect!” 

She didn’t return the Pichu into her pokeball during dinner. In fact, she put the ball away almost permanently. Gloria enjoyed having the Pichu to keep her company. 

~

The following week was filled with packing and readying their belongings to be moved. Her parents told her they were moving to the small town of Postwick. She hadn’t heard of it, but looking at a map revealed that it was a couple hours away from Turffield.  
It was small, smaller than she expected. Why would her parents want to move to such a small town? There didn’t seem to be anything but fields, which wasn’t much of a change from Turffield, if she was saying anything. Perhaps all her parents wanted was a change in scenery, even if it was a small change. 

She would later learn that the reason they moved was trivial at best. The house in Postwick was definitely cheaper than their house in Turffield, and it seemed that her parents had a better job opportunity in Wedgehurst, the next town over from Postwick.

Moving to Postwick wasn’t too hard. Corviknights gracefully took the heavier boxes, lifting them into the air and taking them to the house in Postwick. The smaller stuff, like their suitcases and of course, themselves, would be taken in a single Corviknight. It was a swift and easy move, only taking them about an hour to get everything to their new house. 

Gloria didn’t know what to expect when she first arrived, but it was definitely not the neighboring house to be throwing them a welcoming party. It seemed that everyone in Postwick (which wasn’t much, just a single mother, her child, and what seemed to be a pair of grandparents) and Wedgehurst had come together to welcome Gloria’s family. 

The party was small, nothing too big since everyone wasn’t about to go all out for a family they barely met. It was pleasant though. The curry served tasted different from what Gloria was used to, probably due to the different berries used in this area, but it still tasted great. 

What Gloria was definitely not expecting was for the small kid to come running up to her, an excited sparkle in their eye. Gloria knew this could probably end wrong. They stopped right in front of her, a huge, bright smile plastered on their face. She returned a small smile, a little nervous to talk to what seemed like a very energetic kid. 

“Hi! My names Hop! What’s your name?” 

Gloria cringed at how loud he was. She should have expected it, if anything. “Um, my names Gloria…” 

Hop excitedly began rambling about something that Gloria couldn’t quite keep up with, let alone make out. He talked so fast and so much it was a little bit too much for Gloria. She barely responded to his questions, not as responsive as one should be. She fumbled with the pokeball at her belt, wanting to release her Pichu to deal with the bundle of nerves that seemed to keep building up with each sentence Hop said.

He stopped, quick eyes noticing the pokeball in her hands. “Woah! Gloria, you have a Pokemon?”  
She nodded, gently grabbing the pokeball and hugging it close to her. “My parents gave her to me before we moved… I’ve been training her for a couple days only…”

If Hop wasn’t curious before, he definitely was now. “Oh, oh! Can I see them? I don’t got my own pokemon yet, but my mum said I would get one for my birthday!” 

Gloria was a bit nervous to show her cute little Pichu to a stranger, but she guessed it wouldn’t hurt. Hopefully Hop knew to stay away from unfamiliar electrical types.

With a press, bright light escaped the pokeball, releasing her Pichu from its pokeball. For a moment, Pichu looked around, noticing Hop and all the adults surrounding them. Her ears twitched, not used to being thrust into such a loud environment. 

Hop looked like he was going to explode from excitement. “Oh! It’s a Pichu!” 

Pichu turned around, facing Gloria. Pichu and Gloria had bonded over the last few days, training and learning about each other. Pichu trotted over to Gloria, climbing up her leg, body, and ending up on her shoulder. 

“She’s a bit shy. She only really knows me…” 

Hop nodded, taking a step closer to Gloria. “She’s awfully cute. Didn’t realize that Pichus could be so cute.” 

Gloria nodded, agreeing with Hop. “Um, you can pet ‘er if she lets you… Be careful she don’t shock you.” 

With his small hands, he reached over to Pichu. He stopped right before touching her, allowing them to sniff and inspect his hand. Pichu made a small noise before pushing her head against his hand, rubbing against it. 

Hop grinned happily, petting the small Pichu. The proximity made Gloria blush. He was close, really close. He didn’t seem to notice, too busy petting the Pokemon. 

Gloria’s face was flushed red by the time Hop moved away, grin ever present on his face. “Wow Gloria! I can tell you’d be an amazin’ Pokemon trainer! Pichu looks really happy with you!” 

She didn’t want to be a Pokemon trainer, but she didn’t say anything. Pokemon trainers just want to battle. Gloria just wants to grow her Pokemon and make them strong for no one but herself. “Yeah, I guess I would.”

“Y’know, my brother is the Champion!” 

Huh? Gloria looked at him, confused. There was no way his brother was the champion! Wouldn’t they have moved to Wyndon? They would definitely be able to afford it. In fact, the Pokemon League would probably pay their house off! 

“You’re pullin’ my leg, Hop.” 

“I really ain’t! His name is Leon, and he’s really strong!” 

Gloria scoffed, still refusing to believe him. Hop scowled, crossing his arms in a fit. “I swear I ain’t lyin’, Gloria! He really is my brother!” 

Gloria rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to prove it to me, then.” 

Hop almost pulled out his hair. “Well I can’t prove it to you right now! He’s always busy doing matches and meetings! But I’ll prove it eventually when he visits!” 

With a nod, Gloria looked at Hop, smiling. “Well, I guess we’ll see about that, then.” 

Gloria enjoyed his company. Hop seemed a little different from the kids from Turffield. He was definitely gentler with Pokemon than the other kids, that’s for sure. Pichu seemed to enjoy his company as well. She guessed she could consider Hop a friend. 

A voice rang out from the crowd of adults, calling Hop’s name. He turned around, spotting who called him and smiling their way. “That’s my mum! I guess we’re leaving already, then.” 

Gloria looked around, surprised to see that almost everyone was gone. She guessed their conversation lasted longer than she thought it had. “Um, you’re my neighbor, right?” 

Hop nodded, putting his hands behind his head. “Yeah! If you need me, you can always come knockin’ on my door. My mum won’t mind.” 

Gloria nodded. This felt nice… Having a friend was different, but she could definitely get used to it. “Alright. Um, it might be a few days while I get used to livin’ here an all..” 

The voice, which you now knew was his mother, called out again. “Alright! I’m not moving anytime soon, so I’ll wait for you! I’ve got to be hopping away now, so I’ll see you then!” 

With that, Hop ran towards his mother, looking back to Gloria and waving goodbye. Gloria shyly waved back, other hand petting the Pichu on her shoulder. He seemed to be speaking with his mother about something. 

Gloria could say that today was successful. After all, she had made a new friend!


	2. Gloria's Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop drags Gloria to his house and they hang out. Not much else happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try to update every other day? Or at least every three days. Gives me time to think and come up with ideas and the write them out in a way that I like.

Postwick was small. Very small, compared to the neighboring town, Wedgehurst, and Gloria’s old home, Turffield. It wasn’t all that bad, though. It was nice being able to look out a window and see a large field, occupied by herds of Wooloo. It was calming. Peaceful. 

Like the calm before the storm.

A couple days had passed since Gloria had moved to Postwick. She had settled down enough to be comfortable sleeping in her bedroom without waking up in the middle of the night, missing her old house with its familiar smells and sights. 

She trained with her Pichu in the backyard in the afternoons, not having the confidence to walk to Hop’s house and ask for said boy. After all, they had only just met. 

That didn’t stop Hop from coming over and asking for Gloria, though. 

The knock came approximately 8 days after Gloria moved in. It was not very loud, and it only lasted a couple seconds. Gloria’s mother heard it, though, being in the kitchen and all. She went to open the door, looking eye level before looking down, spotting the small child that was Hop. 

“Goodmorning, Mrs. Williams! I was wonderin’ if Gloria was around, and if she’d be willin’ to hang out at my house!” 

“Well, let me go and ask her. Do you mind waiting here for a few seconds?”

Hop shook his head, and Gloria’s mother went back in. She walked towards her daughter’s room, knocking and opening the door slightly. “Gloria, Hop’s waiting outside for you. Do you want to go with him to his house?” 

Gloria looked over from her book, closing it. So Hop had taken the first step… It wouldn’t hurt to get out of the house, either, she figured. “Alright mommy!”

Hop was getting a little impatient waiting, but then again, he always was on the fast lane in life. Before he could knock again, though, the door reopened, this time Gloria standing there. “Hiya, Hop.” 

Hop grinned happily upon seeing Gloria. “Well, Gloria! I wanted you to come over today to watch some of my brother’s matches!” 

Gloria scrunched up her nose. She still didn’t believe him about that. “Sure, Hop. I’ll go watch some of your,” she did quotation marks around the word brother with her small hands, “brother’s matches.” 

Hop glared at Gloria. She sure was stubborn about this, wasn’t she? “Well, if you believe me or not, you’re gonna watch them with me!” 

Tiny hands grabbed Gloria’s own, and she barely had enough time to close the door before being dragged across her front lawn and into the wide dirt road in front of her house. Gloria regained some composure, now running alongside Hop instead of being dragged by the hand. 

3

They ran down the dirt road, side by side now. An old man who was walking down the road moved to the side, seeing the children barreling down the path. He chuckled as he saw them run past him.

2

They passed the crossroads that split their houses, Gloria catching a glimpse of the neighboring town, Wedgehurst. The shops seemed to be bustling with business, which was good for Gloria’s family. Her mother worked as an accountant at the berry shop, and her father was a manager at the clothes shop. How they managed to snag the jobs so soon after they moved was something Gloria did not know, but she was happy for them, even if she didn’t understand everything about work life yet. 

1

Both of them arrived at Hop’s house, panting slightly from their run. It was then that Gloria noticed that they were still holding hands. She didn’t point it out, wanting to avoid the awkward confrontation that would come from that. It didn’t seem like Hop noticed anyways, as he quickly opened the door to his house and dragged Gloria up to his room. 

His mom seemed to know what was going on already, as she didn’t flinch when the door closed behind them, nor did she ask what Hop was doing. Gloria considered that a plus. She wouldn’t have to deal with the stares of a woman she didn’t know that well yet. 

Hop’s room was surprisingly tidy for someone his age. Probably due to his mom cleaning, but nonetheless, it was clean. There were a few things thrown here and there, but nothing too big. There were some posters on the walls, showcasing some of Galar’s most popular pokemon. His bed was pushed against the corner, a bedside table next to it. There was a desk pushed against the opposite corner from the bed, a swivel chair pushed in. There was a television cabinet with a small TV on it, already playing a match between two people Gloria didn’t exactly recognize. Perhaps they were from foreign regions, because she didn’t think their pokemon were native to Galar. 

Hop sat Gloria down in front of the TV, finally letting going of her hand. He reached over to the remote, pressing buttons with his nose scrunched in concentration. After whatever he was doing finally showed up on the TV, he grinned, his concentrated expression replaced with one of glee. A different match was playing on the TV now, one with familiar faces. With that, Hop looked back to Gloria, a proud sparkle in his eyes. “Well, while you watch my brother, Champion Leon, I’ll go get some snacks from my mom!” 

Gloria rolled her eyes as she watched Hop run out the room, hearing his feet thump down the stairs. She turned towards the TV, watching the match. It was Champion Leon, as Hop had said, during one of his first years being champion. It was an old video, but it still showed how powerful Leon truly was. His Charizard was a force to be reckoned with, and Gloria couldn’t imagine going against him in a Pokemon battle. 

A couple minutes into the match, Hop bounded up the stairs, carrying a tray with chips and juice boxes, setting it down in front of Gloria before taking a seat beside her, clearly excited about the match playing on the TV, even if he had probably watched it multiple times before and already knew the outcomes of it. 

“Don’t we look alike, Gloria?” 

Gloria snorted, turning to face Hop. “Maybe if you were as big as him I would believe you!” 

Hop frowned, hurt you wouldn’t believe him. “Just you wait Gloria! He’s coming to visit in a couple weeks! You’ll have to believe me then!” 

“Well, I guess we’ll have to wait till then!”

Gloria turned back to the TV, humming happily to the song the crowd was singing. Hop’s gaze stayed fixed on Gloria. He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t believe him about his brother. He could also admit that Gloria was a bit cute. Other than that, he was still perplexed and unable to understand the girl that sat beside him. 

After a couple more seconds of awkwardly staring at Gloria, Hop finally turned towards the TV, watching the next match that began playing. There was little talk between the two of them, only occasional sentences of awe and gasps of amazement. Both Hop and Gloria stuffed their chubby little cheeks with chips throughout the whole ordeal, drinking juice every so often. 

By the end of the day, they were only halfway through all the recorded matches Hop had, which was actually kind of impressive, considering Hop had hundreds of matches recorded, each about twenty minutes long. The sun had gone down already, and Gloria was surprised her mom still hadn’t come to get her. 

“Well, that was fun! We should do this again!”  
Gloria nodded, getting up and stretching out her limbs, sore after sitting for so long. She wasn’t sure of what to do now. Was she just gonna go home in the dark? She didn’t like being alone in the dark… 

Sensing Gloria’s awkwardness, Hop stood up as well, stretching his back for a second before speaking up. “Well, I guess I’ll go walk you home! Do you got your Pichu, just in case?” 

Gloria nodded, hand reaching to the pokeball by her belt. She never left home without it, after all. Taking the ball into her hand, she released the Pokemon inside, the small Pokemon releasing a small battle cry. “Let’s get going then!”

Gloria and Hop walked down the stairs, passing by Hop’s mom. “You two be careful. Hop, take care of Gloria, she’s younger than you, ok?” 

That surprised Gloria. She thought she and Hop were the same age? Her birthday already passed, so that meant… Hop was one year older than her! He definitely didn’t act like it, she thought. 

“Of course mum! Come on, Gloria! We gotta get you back home before your mum gets mad.”

With that, instead of running, they went strolling down the dirt road. Gloria’s Pichu took the front line, keeping a watchful eye for any stray pokemon that might want to attack. As they walked, they talked about the matches they had seen together. “I think my favorite so far is the one where Leon fought Raihan for the first time after he became Gym Leader!” 

Gloria nodded, agreeing with him. “Raihan is wicked cool! His dragon pokemon make me want to breed dragons myself!” 

Hop laughed, pointing to the Pichu in front of them. “I think you would be better as a trainer, you know? You and Pichu got a real tight relationship!” 

Of course. Being a Pokemon trainer was more popular than being a Pokemon breeder. Gloria shrugged, looking down to the ground. “I don’t really like battling that much. I like watching, for sure, but I don’t got the guts for battling, yeah?” 

Hop stayed quiet for a moment before speaking up. “You wouldn’t mind battlin’ me, would you? When I get my first Pokemon, that is.” 

Gloria thought about it. She could just battle him occasionally. There wasn’t any harm in it, after all. With a small smile, Gloria nodded. “I guess there ain’t no problem with just battling you.” 

It wasn’t long before they were at Gloria’s house, Pichu running ahead to the front door. Hop stopped at the driveway, watching Gloria as she walked up the steps, hands behind his head. “Take care, Gloria! We can hang out again tomorrow!” 

Gloria nodded, watching as the door swung open, her mother on the other side. “I’ll go over by myself this time! I don’t wanna be dragged down the road again.”

Hop let out a small laugh, nodding. “I’ll see you then, Gloria!” 

Gloria stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Only then did Hop begin walking back home, keeping an eye out for wild Pokemon. 

Gloria politely declined dinner that night, stomach full of chips and juice that Hop had provided. Heading to her room, she closed the door behind her. Cleaning up and changing into pyjamas, she brushed her teeth and brushed her hair, getting ready for bed. She would usually sleep a little later than this, but she was tired from hanging out with Hop. 

Getting into bed, she looked up to the ceiling, thinking about the events of the day. She had enjoyed herself. It was fun hanging out with another person instead of spending all day just reading and training. She could get used to this.

After a couple minutes of thinking, Gloria went to sleep, her Pichu cuddling up beside her. It had been a good day.

**Author's Note:**

> I think the first two chapters or three chapters are gonna be building up the relationship between Gloria and Hop. Also, they're like, 7-8 years old these first few chapters until I state otherwise. I know that they start their Pokemon journey at the ripe age of 10, but that's kinda wack in my opinion. I think I'm gonna make them do their journey when they're 16 or 17. Like, who in the world send their barely maturing 10 year old into a dangerous world filled with dangerous Pokemon? 
> 
> This might feel a bit too slow, but I want to get used to writing more than just 500 words a chapter. I'm gonna try to write at least 1k each chapter. Due to that, there will be times where it seems a little drawn out. I apologize for that. This fanfiction is more of a practice ground of sorts for me. 
> 
> Feel free to point out mistakes and give pointers in the comments!


End file.
